Some wedding venue spaces lend themselves to be the perfect setting for your wedding ceremony, as well as the optimal space for your wedding reception. Deciding to have both segments of your wedding day occur in the same area requires some additional logistical planning to achieve a smooth room flip. The term wedding room flip refers to the transitional period between the moment your ceremony commences and when your guests are invited back into the space to sit down for dinner.
Our planners recommend that if your wedding ceremony and reception will be taking place in the same space, all of the reception tables therefore need to be pre-set with all table setting components beforehand. That means covering the tables with tablecloths and table runners and setting plates, cutlery, glassware, napkins, table numbers, name cards, favors, candle votives, and floral arrangements into position. The reception tables should look like they are ready to sit at, minus the seating.
Behind the Scenes: AXIS Pioneer Square Wedding Room Flip
In the heart of Seattle’s AXIS Pioneer Square, the Pacific Engagements planning team demonstrated how to transform the venue's central space from a ceremony setting to a dinner reception area in an exceptionally short span of time.
The process commenced with the meticulous arrangement of chairs for the ceremony. Wooden vineyard chairs were organized into multiple rows leading to the tall floral ceremony arch against the far brick wall. Simultaneously, in the adjacent room, the Pacific Engagements planning team spent three hours carefully pre-setting the rectangular reception tables. Each floor length table linen was neatly draped, table settings were meticulously placed, and every guest's name card was delicately positioned where it could clearly be seen in front of the bloom-filled floral centerpieces. This meticulous preparation served a dual purpose: ensuring the tables were impeccably set and double-checking that no cutlery or glassware was absent.
In the behind-the-scenes images below, you can faintly see the ceremony chairs set up on the opposite side of the sheer ivory drapes, dividing the two galleries.
Once the ceremony concluded and guests vacated the room, the catering team swiftly moved the rows of chairs out of the way. In a choreographed sequence, the eighteen pre-set reception tables were carried in and arranged according to the predetermined reception layout. Three 48-ft long rows of elegantly set tables graced the space, a testament to careful planning and seamless execution. While goblets were being filled with water, and tall taper candles were being lit, the Pacific Engagements planners went table-to-table to confirm that each name card was placed at the correct table, ensuring that the seating chart would accurately direct guests to their designated positions.
Executed in just 45 minutes, this well-coordinated production exemplified the expertise and value of Pacific Engagements’ planning team. Through their efficient, premeditated approach and meticulous attention to detail, they seamlessly transitioned the venue from a solemn ceremonial space to a warm, inviting setting for a candlelit dinner reception, leaving attendees impressed with the venue’s transformation.
